Professor Spinner wanted to compare how children from different family environments made friends at school. He carefully chose participants to ensure that their characteristics were as much alike as possible. Professor Spinner observed the participants in the school setting. Professor Spinner used
A) a laboratory experiment.
B) random assignment.
C) a natural, or quasi-, experiment.
D) a correlational design.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The use of carefully chosen participants to ensure they are as much alike as possible, along with the observation of participants in a natural school setting, suggests the use of a quasi-experimental design. Quasi-experiments are used when random assignment is not possible or ethical, and the environment is not artificially controlled like in a laboratory experiment. This design allows for some level of control while still examining real-life situations.

Professor Spinner Wanted to Compare How Children from Different Family